The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-09-17
PoIsoNs OF JAVA.
English Mechanic.


 Java and the Archipelago generally are the center of poisons, animal and vegetable. and no ladies are so prone to make use of them as the varied tribes grouped under the general name of Malay. The kris" or ser pentine dagger, which has become almost a symbol of treachery and re- venge, has terrible reputation; but from my own observation 1 almost doubt if it is ever poisoned at all in the real sense of the word. Tho Ma lay never grinds the kris, but is always rubbing the blade with green lemon or the juice cf young pine apple mixed with orpiment. The effect at first is to remove the rust, but thicker coat succeeds, and in time a rough damascene is formed, with notchy edge. and the effect of wound from weapon of this sort needs no explanation To any one who has suffered from a rusty nail or nee de. The poison of the sumpitan, or blow tube dart, is. however, very real. The Bataks, that singular race inhab- iting central Sumata, and the only known people who combine cannibal- ism with civilization enough for a written alphabetical language, are very skillful ill its use. They obtain it from two sources-one the upas tree and the other an allied species called the "ringus." The juice of this latter is most virulent, and burns the skin like boiling oil. have many a time seen coolies brought in bowling dismally, with heads and fhces swollen to pantomimic size from having in- cautiously struck an aX into the "rin- gus" The only way to attack il is for the woodmen to give themselves a thorough coating of grease, and even then the risk to the eyes is so great that it is generally allowed 10 stand. This tree probably gave rise to the fables about the upas ('upas" is Japa- nese for poison of any kind.) The upas poison, however, requires to be used quite fresh. as few hours eX- posture to the air converts it to crumbly black rosin, quite harmless Another poison is obtained from a species of vine bearing clusters of bright fruit, the size of a cricket ball, containing Il number of seeds in an in- tensely bitter pulp. The effects of this are very rapid. have seen the Balak creep up, sumpitan in hand, to where 8 troop of gibbons were yelling their noisy chorus from lofty tree top. and scarcely halfo minute elapsed between the dispatch of the missile and the crashing fall of the struck ape Even the gigantic and formidable spc- cies of the ourang -outang, which haunts the forests of the east coast. falls paralyzed by two or three of these tiny darts. One of the most famous poisons of Java is obtained from the bamboo. The young shoots of the cane, when they first appear, are covered with fine, brownish hair this, under powerful microscope, appears as bayonet- like spikes of silex, infinitely sharp, and think hollow, though 1 could not be quite sure. This hair, administered daily in small quantities in the food, brings on ulcer ation of the bowels, stimulating malig- nant dyscntery. The action must bc of mechanical. rather than chemical, nature, just as with the terrible effect on the eyes of the spores of the com mon pufi'ball. It is greatly dreaded by the Dutch and Europeans living in Java. A Dutch official told me that scores of deaths among European planters, etc. put down to dysentery and diarrhpa, were really due to the bamboo hair and the jealousy of the native women.